Crisis in Cuba; Did the CIA steal JFK/MK Ultra Files: NYT Reports on IDF War Rape

President Trump’s visit to China has dominated the media this week. Here are a few very interesting stories you might have missed.

Cuba says it’s out of oil

Cuba has completely run out of oil and diesel, with Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy stating the country has "absolutely no" fuel reserves left, leaving the power grid in a "critical" state. The severe shortage is due to a U.S. blockade that has blocked oil shipments since January 2026, cutting off supplies from traditional partners like Venezuela and Mexico.

People are starving and have a limited ability to cook with any dry goods they manage to secure. Doctors and nurses are having to use cell phone lights to run to the NICU, where they manually pump ventilators for infants, a highly risky proposition as the slightest under or over-pump can be deadly.

Did the CIA steal files from JFK’s murder and Project MK Ultra from the Director of National Intelligence?

On Wednesday, a political firestorm erupted after CIA whistleblower James Erdman III, a senior operations officer with approximately two decades of service, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. During the hearing, which was primarily focused on the origins of COVID-19, Erdman claimed that the Central Intelligence Agency had seized approximately 40 boxes of classified documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the MKUltra mind-control program from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, led by Tulsi Gabbard.

Erdman stated the files were being processed for declassification when the CIA intervened, calling the action part of “documented efforts to circumvent oversight.” He also alleged the agency illegally monitored the computer and phone usage of investigators under Gabbard’s authority. Pinellas County Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna told News Nation as much before everyone began walking back the story.

IDF War Rape Report

The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times opinion columnist who has probably done more reporting on sexual crimes and abuse than any reporter out there. In a column this week, Kristof alleged widespread sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israeli forces. The piece was based on interviews with 14 Palestinians, including unnamed former prisoners and activists like Sami al-Sai and Issa Amro, as well as reports from human rights groups such as Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

Israeli officials strongly rejected the allegations, calling the article a “blood libel” and accusing Kristof of relying on sources with alleged ties to Hamas and unverified testimonies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced plans to sue the New York Times for defamation, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the piece as a baseless, anti-Israel campaign timed to influence the UN’s blacklist on sexual violence in conflict.

However, when a gang of IDF soldiers was caught on tape sodomizing a Palestinian prisoner, they faced no punishment, while a whistleblower who escalated the incident faced repercussions.

Five IDF reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm after being implicated in the sodomy of a Palestinian detainee in July 2024, based on a leaked video showing soldiers using shields to conceal the assault. The detainee suffered severe injuries, including a ruptured bowel, anal trauma, broken ribs, and lung damage, and was hospitalized following the 10- to 15-minute attack.

All charges against the soldiers were ultimately dropped in March 2026, with the IDF citing "exceptional circumstances" affecting the prosecution’s ability to ensure a fair trial.

Meanwhile, Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the former head of the IDF’s Military Advocate General’s Office, resigned and was later arrested for leaking the video to counter right-wing claims that investigations into the abuse were baseless. She faced charges including fraud, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, and disclosure of classified information—highlighting the stark reversal of accountability.